1944 Jan 22, US troops under Major General John P. Lucas made an amphibious landing behind German lines at Anzio, Italy, just south of Rome. Major General Lucas commanded Operation Shingle, a surprise landing behind German lines in Italy. General Lucas harbored grave doubts about the chances for success in this, the most daring operation of the Italian campaign. The seaborne operation was planned as a way of outflanking German strength on Italy’s Gustav Line and swiftly capturing Rome, but almost nothing went according to plan.. The 1944 Battle of Anzio stemmed from the Allied attempt to draw German troops off the Gustav Line during Operation Shingle. An expeditionary force commanded by U.S. Major General John P. Lucas secured a beachhead near Anzio and Nettuno on Italy’s west coast, but his divisions were quickly contained by German Field Marshall Albert Kesselring. A succession of attacks resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, though no budge in the stalemate for four months. The Allies finally broke out of the beachhead in late May, facilitating the advance that led to the eventual capture of Rome.
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